Pokémon Adventures: The Johto Journey
by AutumnRainyDays
Summary: This story centres around 14 year-olds Kaelin, Ben and Fina on their Pokémon journey in Johto. The journey will see them in tough battles, tougher gym matches, contests, helping Pokémon and uncovering great mysteries.
1. Winds of a New Beginning

Pokémon Adventures:

The Johto Journey

_**Chapter One**_

_**Winds of a New Beginning**_

Chocolate and scarlet leaves rustled in the winds outside of the window where fourteen year old Kaelin Moon was sitting at, gazing at the tall grass. Every once in a while a few blades twitched, and Kaelin knew that a wild Pokémon would be there, waiting to be captured. Cold winds rattled the window and spun the wind turbine which was just outside. New Bark Town had always been a quiet place. Too quiet and small for a teenage boy.

Usually at the age of ten, a young boy or girl would make their way to the Pokémon Research Laboratory and receive their first Pokémon and then embark on their Pokémon journey. However, Kaelin did not go on his Pokémon journey when he turned ten.

But now, he was ready. Now he would go out and get his starter Pokémon. His mother was in the kitchen, baking as she always did. Today it was brownies, which just happened to be Kaelin's favourite. He breathed in the warm smell of chocolate and love. He could not imagine himself leaving this village. But he had made up his mind, along with his friend, Bently.

"Kaelin," came her sweet voice.

He lifted his head "Yeah, Mom?"

"Are you still going on your journey?" She asked sweetly.

"Of course I am".

"I thought so. Have you packed everything?" She asked. He eyed his blue drawstring bag he was taking with him and nodded.

"What about socks? Your toothbrush? Pyjamas?"

"Yes Mom". She came over to him "Good boy" and hugged him tightly. "I love you" she announced, and there were tears in her eyes as she uttered the words.

"I love you too, Mom".

There was a knock on the door which dispersed the mood at once. It seemed to echo around the room, filling the house with silence. Kaelin slung his bag over his green tweed jacket before going to the hall. He took a breath before opening the door, "Hey, Ben".

His blonde hair was windswept and his cheeks were rosy. He was wearing a white turtleneck sweater with a blue cardigan over the top, as well as black skinny jeans, trainers and the strap of a grey backpack dangled over one shoulder. There was a smile on his face but his eyes seemed a little pink and puffy.

"Are you ready?" He asked. _What a question_, thought Kaelin. How could he not leave, leave the comfort of his mom and the security of this forgotten village?

Kaelin nodded.

The oven timer dinged and Mrs Moon bustled off to retrieve the brownies. "Here you are" she said, handing a brown paper bag over to Kaelin and another over to Eric. They were quite heavy.

"Thank you, Mrs Moon" Ben said graciously.

"Oh, just call me Emily, sweetie" she smiled at him.

Mrs Moon slipped a coat over her pink dress and apron and followed them out to the Pokémon lab which was just next door. Eric's mother was waiting for them too. She was a round woman who had curly brown hair which reached her shoulders and a warm smile. "Hullo,Kaelin" she greeted. Ben knocked on the door and they all waited, pondering over which Pokémon Kaelin and Ben would choose. Either Chikorita, Cyndaquil or Totodile. Professor Elm answered. "Greetings, Kaelin and Bently" and welcomed them all inside, although the mothers decided to stay outside.

"You should make this choice yourselves" Mrs Moon told them wisely.

Professor Elm led them up to a machine at the end of the lab, it was almost cylindrical in shape with four legs, and it held three Pokéballs. They gleamed under the bright light of the machine.

"Today, you shall begin your Pokémon journey" he said brightly. "And to start you off on your journey, you shall both receive a partner Pokemon. Now," he said as he turned towards the machine. "Here they are". He took all three of the balls and clicked the middle button, enlarging it to about the size of an apple, before throwing the balls into the air. They opened, and three streams of red light hit the floor, and before they knew it, three different creatures stood before them.

First was Chikorita. It was pale green in colour, with a necklace of buds. It has a large head in proportion to the rest of its body, with large red eyes. It had four short legs with a single nailed toe each, and a small tail. Its most distinguishing feature was the large leaf on the top of its head.

Next was Cyndaquil. Its fur was bluish on top of its body, but creamish on the underside. Its eyes were almost closed, as it was still young. It had four red-colored spots on its back from which its flames erupted.

Thirdly was Totodile. It had red spines on their back and tail, the one on its back was larger with additional ridges next to the back spines. Totodile's head was large, with crocodilian ridges above its eyes. There were two visible teeth on the tip of its upper jaw. On its chest was a pale yellow V-shaped pattern that extended to Totodile's arms, with a line bisecting it at the middle.

"Hmm, I would like -" started Ben but he was interrupted by a

BANG.

All three spun around. The door to the lab had been pushed open with so much energy that it has collided with the wall. A girl was standing in the gap, silhouetted against the light. "I'm Fina!" She proclaimed. "And I'm here for my first Pokémon!" She was illuminated as she stepped under the bright light of the laboratory. She had dark brown hair that reached the bottom of her back. She was wearing a purple dress with white boots and she had an energetic look in her green eyes.

"Oh hello, Fina." Professor Elm greeted her. "We were just choosing our Pokémon." She surveyed everyone in the room for a second before looking at the Pokémon.

"Aww, they are all so cute!" She said, her eyes big and round.

"I pick Cyndaquil!" She said and she bent down to stroke his head. He crooned at her touch and snuggled into her.

"It seems Cyndaquil likes you," said Professor Elm, "I'm sure you'll look after him".

"I'll take great care of him, I promise!" She vowed. "What're your names?" She smiled asked, looking up at the two boys.

"This is Kaelin and I'm Bently" he introduced. "But just call me Ben". His voice had become strange, softer, a mixture between anger and surprise.

"Nice to meet you." She said politely. "I'm sorry, but I should really be going now. Maybe I'll see you around." Both boys nodded and she skipped off happily, a Cyndaquil's Pokéball in her hand.

"Okay" said Professor Elm. "Your choice is now between Chikorita and Totodile".

Kaelin and Ben looked at each other for a split second and then dived. Kaelin had his arms around Totodile, which was the Pokémon he had wanted and when he looked up, Ben was happily hugging Chikorita. They both looked at each other, a little embarrassed but they thanked the professor and assured him they would take good care of their Pokémon.

"Hold on boys. I almost forgot." He went over to his cluttered desk and pulled out a briefcase from under a pile of papers. He flicked it open and pulled out two red devices. They were rectangular in shape but with rounded edges. "These machines are called Pokedexes. They give information about Pokémon. For example, if you came across and unknown Pokémon in the wild, all you have to do is flip the Pokedex open, like so," He flipped the cover open with his thumb. "And point it at the Pokémon. You can also type in the Pokémon's name manually if you prefer. If a Pokémon is caught and scanned with the Pokedex, the device will primarily give the height, weight, cry, other forms, a few sentences about the Pokémon and a picture."

He gave one Pokedex each to Kaelin and Ben. "I hope they help you on your journey, wherever it will take you." Professor Elm's brow furrowed for a moment. "Oh no" he said as he hurried back to his desk, checking the brief case. He pulled out another Pokédex. "I forgot to give it to Fina!" He cried. "What am I going to do?"

"We could deliver it to her, Professor," offered Ben. Kaelin shot a look at him, but said nothing. This seemed to go unnoticed by Professor Elm who was so relieved that he relaxed all his body muscles and slouched back into the chair behind his desk. "Oh, would you? Thank you so much!"

"It's no bother" Ben assured Elm over his shoulder as both he and Kaelin left the lab, fumbling with the straps of their bags.

They went back outside to be met by the orange sky and the breeze in the grass and trees. Kaelin's mom was waiting with an orange-brown something in her hands.

"It's a scarf, as it's getting cold I thought you'd need it." She placed it around his shoulders over his tweed jacket.

"Thanks Mom"

"Kaelin, while you're away, I want you to have this." She pulled a small device out of her apron and held it out in her hand. "It's a Pokégear. You can call people and it shows a map of Johto. When you get to Goldenrod City you can take it to the Radio Tower and they'll activate it so you can listen to the radio." She placed it in Kaelin's hand and as he looked back at her, she had tears in her eyes again. "You'll call me every once in a while, right?" She asked hopefully.

"All the time" he reassured her, beaming. "Thanks, Mom. I suppose this is goodbye." Kaelin hugged her one final time before letting go.

"Don't forget to change your underwear everyday!" She called.

Kaelin's face went bright pink "MOM! I'M FOURTEEN!"

"Oh, I know honey, but you'll always be... my little boy."

Was it the smell of the brownies, his crying mother or her loving words made it even harder for Kaelin to take that first step away from her? He did not look back at her, because he knew it would make it so much easier to stay. But he could not spend his entire life in this small village living with his mom forever.

Ben said goodbye to his mother too and as the two boys walked away together in unison, the two mothers stood together, waving them goodbye. "I hope they'll be alright, Emily." said Ben's mom.

Mrs Moon sniffed and wiped her eyes with her frilly cream apron.

"I know they will be."


	2. And Then There Were Three

Pokémon Adventures:

The Johto Journey

_**Chapter Two**_

_**And Then There Were Three**_

The wind blew through the grass past two teenage boys who were making their way quickly through Route 29. It was covered in tall grass. _The perfect place to catch Pokémon_ thought Kaelin hungrily. He was not sure if wanted to be the best Pokémon trainer he could, which to him, and perhaps every other teenager, meant capturing every single last one of them. There was a rustle, and a birdlike thing lifted its head, staring with black eyes intently. It was brown and feathery, with a lighter coloured throat and belly. Kaelin noted that It was rather small and plump with pink-grey claws.

"It's a Pidgey" said Ben, knowingly. "Come on, let's get it" he smiled as he pulled out of his bag a Pokéball. There was a majestic grace about him as he pulled the Pokéball back before throwing it high, letting it twirl in the air. "Chikorita, I chose you!" The red light emerged and shot down to the floor, transforming into Chikorita.

"Wait!" Whispered Kaelin. "Do you even know _how_ to capture Pokémon?" He asked.

"Of course I do!" He replied confidently. "Chikorita, use Tackle!" Chikorita ran forward on its four legs before slamming into the bird Pokémon. Pidgey looked around dizzily before focusing on Ben's Chikorita. Its eyes gleamed in the sun for a split second before it launched itself into the sky, and turning to dive at Chikorita. "Tackle it again Chikorita!" ordered Ben. However it was in vain, as Pidgey had the advantage of being in the sky, avoiding Chikorita's efforts. Pidgey continued its dive and collided beak-on into Chikorita.

It was over. Chikorita had fallen into the grass, half hidden in the dark blades. It's eyed were reduced to spinning circles as Ben picked him up and held him in his arms. "I lost" he said in disbelieve. "To a... Pidgey". Perhaps the sounds of the battle had disturbed sleeping Pokemon, because there was more rustling around where they stood, as if wild Pokémon had been attracted to them.

"Come on! Let's get to the next town and try to get him to a hospital" said a nervous Kaelin. It was getting dark now, and Kaelin could see the moon rising behind a tree, as if it was trying to creep into the navy sky without being noticed. Ben took one last look at the Pidgey.

"Okay."

They ran pell-mell down the lane, tripping over long grass, weeds and rocks. Twice, Kaelin's scarf was caught on the branch of a tree as they ran past. At long last, the sparkling sea was now in sight and they ran on, not daring to look back at what may have been behind them. And then...

A brown-grey cloud was moving quickly in their direction and the night air was filled with the sound of "Pidgey! Pidgey!" as it came closer.

"Oh no!" gasped Kaelin as it drew closer. He could now see beaks and claws among the crowd and he knew that the cloud was indeed a flock of Pidgey, trying to avenge their friend who had been attacked. There were at least twenty of them in a tight formation. The space inbetween trainers and Pokémon was drawing closer and Kaelin thought instinctively. "Help us, Totodile!" he pleaded as he threw the red and white ball into the air. Totodile appeared and stared for a moment at the oncoming crowd, before turning on the spot and running back to his trainer. "Please Totodile, you're the only one who can help us, please". Maybe it was the sincerity of his words, but Totodile stood up a little straighter and turned around once again to face the flock of Pidgey. "Use Scratch when they get close enough to you but be careful and try to evade any of their attacks!" called Kaelin over the flapping of wings. A Pidgey broke free of the crowd and came, beak open, claws ready towards Totodile. It looked like it was going to hit but then came –

"Dile!" Totodile's arm had swung up at the last second and his claws had scratched at the face of the Pidgey who at once fell to the ground. Two more birds moved in to attack and Totodile had caught one with his claws and once again scratched it o it fell to the floor. However, in the moment that he was occupied, the other Pidgey had started to peck at the back of Totodile's head. Totodile's arms could not quite reach the back of his head and it looked like the Pidgey may win this fight.

"Keep going Totodile! You can do it!" came Kaelin's voice which seemed to activate some kind of hidden stamina in his Pokémon. Totodile had rolled forwards, which had stopped the Pidgey from attacking him, and had stood up so quickly that he was facing the bird again, ready to fight. The Pidgey moved in, but Totodile stood tall and still. The Pidgey sped up, probably thinking its opponent had given up. And then at the last second – SWISH. Totodile's tail had flicked forward and smacked the Pidgey hard in the face, sending it flying.

Suddenly, it was quiet. The rest of the Pidgey had stopped talking and crying it's name but instead, for the first time, looked fearful. They soared upwards in an untidy fashion, racing eachother to get as far away from the crocodile Pokémon as they could.

"Well done, Totodile! You did it!" Kaelin cried happily as he lifted his Pokémon onto his shoulders. "You deserve a rest, don't worry, we're almost at the next town".

"Wow, Kaelin, that was amazing" said Ben, who had been watching the whole time, transfixed. He rubbed Totodile's head "You were excellent, thanks". Kaelin made sure he was sitting safely on his shoulder before they continued on, towards the end of the route, into Cherrygrove City.

The city was rather small, with only a few houses and a large building with an orange roof and a red cross on the front. "Maybe it's a hospital!" guessed Bently, excitedly. The glass doors parted and slid to opposite sides, allowing them entry. It was cosy and warm inside, with three booths at each side where you could sit. There was a circular desk at the end of the room, where a woman with pink hair was sitting. The boys moved closer and stood behind a girl who was already talking to the pink-haired woman. The girl was dressed in a purple dress with... white boots.

"Fina!" They cried out automatically. She turned around and smiled when she saw the boys. "Back at the lab, the Professor forgot to give you your Pokédex". Kaelin fumbled with his bag for a moment before pulling out the red device. He handed it to her and she smiled once again.

"Thanks guys," she said before turning back to the lady behind the desk "excuse me for a second. So yeah, I used all my fire Pokémon and they were all defeated by that flock of wild Pidgey!" said Fina, exasperatedly. Kaelin and Ben shared a look.

"Excuse me, Fina, but are you talking about the flock of Pidgey on Route 29?" asked Kaelin. She turned back round to face him.

"Yeah, why? Did they attack you too?" She asked

"Yeah, but my Totodile defeated three of them, and the others are too scared to come back, I think. But anyway, our Pokémon are really tired and Ben's is rather injured. Do you know if this is a hospital?" he asked, hopefully.

"Yes, this is Nurse Joy and she runs the Pokémon Centre, which is a hospital for Pokémon. She'll look after your Pokémon."

"Just pop your Pokémon in their Pokéballs and give them to me, sweeties, and I'll heal them for you". Kaelin and Ben simultaneously returned their Pokémon to their Pokéballs and handed them over to Nurse Joy. She smiled reassuringly at them and turned to a machine behind her. It was exactly the same as the one Professor Elm had back in his lab. She places the two Pokéballs in the almost cylindrical machine and it whirred and flashed yellow. It was only a few seconds before she gave them their Pokéballs back. "There, they're all healed and ready. Are you planning to stay the night?" She enquired.

"What, can we do that?" asked Ben.

"Of course you can, you may stay as long as you like. The rooms are free, as well as the cafeteria and of course, Pokémon healing. But I'm afraid I only have one room left. You see, many people have been attacked by the Pidgey flock you were earlier, and they have all decided to stay here. I don't suppose you mind sharing a room? Of course you don't have to stay but it's dark and cold outside". They all looked out of the nearest window. It had begun to rain, and they could not see beyond the inky blackness.

"I don't mind sharing a room" said Fina, shivering at the thought of being outside.

"Great", said Nurse Joy, handing over the key. "Please remember that food is free in all Pokémon centres if you're hungry". They all nodded, appreciatively.

"Come on" said Fina as she began to climb the stairs. "We're in Room 17". Once they were inside the room, they all dropped their bags and sank into their beds. "So, you say you beat those Pidgey with just your Totodile, right?" she asked Kaelin as they unpacked their pyjamas from their bags.

"Yeah, that's right" answered Kaelin, looking down at the top of the Pokéball in his hand.

"Wow, you must be really strong! I used all three of my fire-type Pokémon and the Pidgey defeated them all." She looked astonished.

"How did you get so many Pokémon already?" asked Ben curiously.

"Well, you see. I'm from Littleroot Town in Hoenn. I started my journey a while back and I chose Torchic – that's the fire type – as my starter. I was travelling by myself and I had collected a few Pokémon on the way and I had beaten three of the gyms". She dug in her bag for a moment and then pulled out a metallic case, which she opened and gave to Ben to look at. "However, I met a trainer there and he asked to battle. He was incredibly strong and he defeated all of my Pokémon. So I decided to take a break for a while. I travelled here instead and earlier today I got my Johto starter , Cyndaquil. I guess my loss with that trainer back in Hoenn had knocked my confidence, and it was proved today by those Pidgey". She frowned as she finished her sentence and there was a following silence.

"But, these badges are amazing! You must have been strong to get these!" congratulated Ben.

"Maybe I was, but now..." she trailed off.

"Don't worry Fina, it's just an issue of confidence if you ask me. How about we train tomorrow and you can show us your Pokémon". He grinned at her and Kaelin nodded.

"Okay" she agreed as she pulled back her quilt.

The next day dawned brightly and the sunlight pierced the curtains and bathed the room in a warm glow.

"Mornin'" greeted Ben. They dressed quickly and repacked their bags before making their way downstairs to the cafeteria. The cafeteria was full of people. Kaelin, Ben and Fina found a table near the window and collected their breakfast from the buffet. They gulped it down and returned to the lobby to return their room key to Nurse Joy.

"Hey, can you show us your Pokémon now? Asked Ben, excited.

"Sure", she smiled back as they made their way outside into the glorious sun shine. "Everyone, come on out!" She called, as she threw all three Pokéballs into the air. Three beams of light hit the ground and in front of her stood Cyndaquil and two other unknown Pokémon. "Guys, meet Kaelin and Ben. Kealin and Ben, meet Cyndaquil, Tochic and Vulpix".

The boys took in their appearances. It was a while before she spoke again. "I've decided something". They nodded at her. The slight breeze lifted her brown hair. "I've decided I would like to travel with you, if that's okay, I mean".

Both boys smiled. "Of course, that would be great!" replied Kaelin. "Come on, let's have a battle!"

They spent the remainder of the day on the small beach where they battled all of Fina's Pokemon. This resulted in many trips back to the Pokémon Centre, but Nurse Joy was only too happy to help them. Fina was happy while she was battling, which helped her confidence a lot. Today, the fight was all about fun and not the pressure of gym badges. The three friends collapsed on the sand at the end of the day and thought about the new bond they had made together.


	3. Fishing for Trouble

Pokémon Adventures:

The Johto Journey

_**Chapter Three**_

_**Fishing for Trouble**_

Three friends strode together in unison up a sandy path. Today the sun was shining and the wind was calm. It was a glorious day. Kaelin had finally decided to call his mom from the Pokégear. He selected her name and pressed the "call" button.

Ring… ring.

Ring…

"Hello?"

Kaelin's mouth stretched to a smile.

"Hey Mom! It's Kaelin."

He heard her voice change as she said excitedly "Hi honey! I missed you!"

"Mom, it's only been two days."

"Oh I know that sweetie, but I guess it feels strange with you not being here" her voice faltered slightly at the end of the sentence.

Kaelin quickly went on "I'm on Route 30, Mom. I just wanted you to know that I was safe. I'm with Ben and I'm travelling with a new friend called Fina".

"Fina? Is she a girl?"

"Err, yes".

"AWW MY KAELIN HAS A GIRLFRIEND!" his mother positively cried through the speaker.

"No, Mom, it's not like that" he said, his cheeks burning. He was sure that Fina or Ben would have heard. "Listen, I've got to go, I'll call you again soon".

"Bye Kaelin!"

"Bye, Mom".

Thankfully Ben and Fina had been a little further ahead up the track and had hopefully not heard the conversation.

"So Ben, what kind of journey do you want to go on?" Fina asked Bently.

"Umm… what do you mean?"

"Well, you can do gym battles or you can do contest battles" she said. "I once knew a girl from Little Route Town and she set off to be a Pokémon coordinator, that's what you call a person who partakes in Pokémon contests" she said wisely.

Ben looked at Kaelin before asking "But, what is a contest?"

Kaelin shook his head. He didn't know.

"Well" Fina said, sounding slightly exasperated, "it's basically the same as an ordinary battle but you gain points on how good your Pokémon look while do it. Before the battle, there's also an appeal round where you show off your Pokémon and their moves. It's how well you perform in that that gets you into the next round."

Both boys were nodding along in interest. "And what happens in that round?" asked Kaelin.

"There's sort of a small league between the remaining contestants, you battle your way through, and if you win all the matches you go into the final match. If you win that match you gain a ribbon."

"Erm, what's a ribbon?" asked Ben, sheepishly.

Fina pretended to roll her eyes. "It's the contest version of a gym badge. If you get enough ribbons throughout the region, you can compete in the Grand Festival." She drove on before Bently could ask what the Grand Festival was. "The Grand Festival is the final contest. In order to qualify, Coordinators must win five ribbons from Pokémon Contests throughout a specific region. The winner receives the Ribbon Cup, as well as the title of Top Coordinator".

They both looked at her.

"I WANNA BE A POKÉMON COORDINATOR!" Shouted Ben, waving his arms around excitedly. Fina laughed.

"Well, you'll need a decent team of Pokémon" she advised.

"Have you ever entered a contest before, Fina?" asked Kaelin.

"Nah, it's not really my thing. I've never exactly been graceful. And besides, I prefer gym battles. But I don't know, maybe I will partake in one in the future".

The sun was still rising, and their shadows rippled behind them on the grass. They soon came to a small pond. "Oh, please let's rest our feet for a while" begged Fina, "we've been walking for ages!" So they made their way to the water. Fina pulled off her boots and the boys kicked off their trainers. "Ooh, it's nice and cool" informed Fina as she stood in the shallow water. Kaelin stood next to her. The cool water lapped around his hot feet. Bently came bounding in after them, spraying them with water while he ran. "Ben! I'm soaking!" shouted Fina.

"It's only a little water!" Ben was now waist deep in the water. "Come o-" His sentence was cut off as a small black arm shot out of the water and pulled him down with surprising strength.

Fina and Kaelin looked at each other for a split plunged forwards, fumbling in his pokéball belt. He turned around to see something he wished he hadn't. In one fluid moment, Fina ripped off her purple dress and discarded the white tshirt to reveal a one piece swimming costume.

"What… why were you wearing that?" Kaelin asked, getting over the shock.

Fina shrugged. "Well, you never know" and she dived into the water after Bently. Kaelin finally released Totodile from his pokéball and they swam together. Once submerged, Kaelin grabbed Fina's arm and Totodile helped them swim towards Bently. He was flailing his arms madly and bubbles of air were escaping from his mouth, clouding his huge eyes from view.

Without thinking, Kaelin issused the command "Totodile, use Bite!". This command had resulted in wasting some of Kaelin's oxygen, but nevertheless Totodile had understood the jet of bubbles issuing from his mouth. Totodile swam forwards and with a huge snapping of his teeth, clenched his jaws around the Pokémon's arm, releasing Bently, who kicked towards the surface at once. Fina and Kaelin joined him.

Once at the surface, Kaelin felt very foolish for diving in fully clothed, without even removing his scarf when he saw Fina pull herself out of the water gracefully in her swimming costume. Totodile splashed out of the water a second later, covering Kaelin in another wave of water, making him feel even stupider. Totodile had brought the Pokémon with it. It resembled a purple tadpole. It had a black and white swirl on it's stomach. It stood up on it's legs and toppled over almost instantly.

"Aww! How cute!" squealed Fina is delight. Bently looked away, trying to hide his burning face. "Ha! That cute little Pokémon managed to pull you down to the bottom of that pond!". Ben turned his face further away.

"I want to capture it." Kaelin said suddenly. His eyes were set on the much smaller eyes of the Pokémon. It looked very dazed and it didn't seem to want to run away. Kaelin took out one of the five empty pokéballs from his bag and threw it. It missed the Pokémon.

Fina snorted while she pulled out a plastic and metallic looking device from her pocket, flipped it open and pointed it at the Pokémon. A computerised voice read out "Polywag. Because it is inept at walking on its newly grown legs, it always swims around in water. The direction of its belly spiral differs by area. The equator is thought to have an effect on this."

"A polywag, eh?" Kaelin said, with more confidence now. He walked over to it and patted it's head. It smiled cutely and it's lips became smaller and rounder. Kaelin noticed that it's eyes had become glossed over with tears. "Aww, I don't want to hurt it anymore, look, it's crying". There was a tone of sadness in his voice. There was a metallic _plunk_ behind him and he turned to see Fina pulling a tin can from out of her bag. The pulled off the top and poured the contents into a small plastic bowl and set it at the polywag's feet. "There you go", she said softly.

The polywag looked delighted "Poly poly poly!" and threw it's head into the contents of the bowl.

"Is that Pokémon food?" Kaelin asked. Fina nodded.

"That type is specifically for water Pokémon. I thought we should get some for Totodile. I'm glad I got it, it looks like that polywag was starving."

Bently came over and patted the polywag's head slowly, his arm was rather straight and rigid as he did it, as if he was ready to pull back at any moment. "I suppose he's alright" he agreed. All three smiled at each other.

Later, when they had set up their tents and Fina had released Cyndaquil to start a bonfire, they sat together, discussing the fate of the Polywag. "I can't believe I only wanted to capture it" came Kaelin. "A good Pokémon trainer is a friend to Pokémon and isn't just set on collecting them". The polywag was now sitting close to Kaelin, with Totodile. They seemed to be talking. Bently was in his sleeping bag, snoring in the tent. Fina was sitting on a log, Cyndquil on her lap, her eyes shut. Kaelin looked into the flames, debating what to do, and before he knew it, he was asleep.

The following morning Kaelin woke to a wet sensation on the back of his hand. He opened an eye slowly. It was the polywag, licking his hand. He was overcome with emotion. This polywag still liked him. He scooped it up in his arms and squeezed it gently. It made a soft cooing noise. Kaelin's eyes widened with cuteness. He skipped into the tent and showed Bently and Fina the polywag. "Guys! I think he likes me!". They both looked at it and smiled at the expression on Kaelin's face.

"Maybe you won't have to injure it after all, it might want to come with you" suggested Bently, his blonde bags askew.

"Yeah" yawned Fina "Why don't you see if it will go in a pokéball?" She stretched and held one out to Kaelin.

He held the polywag in one hand and touched the pokéball lightly to it's head. At once the pokéball opened and the polyway transformed into red energy and zapped inside the capsule.

"YES! I JUST CAUGHT… A POLYWAG!" exclaimed Kaelin, holding the pokéball up high.

Yesterday's events could not have been better. With a new Pokémon, Kaelin felt much more confident as a trainer, and as he, Ben and Fina continued onto Route 31 and felt he had a new friend.


End file.
